In many cases, modern glass facades are not just a functional element of a structure, but in fact also serve increasingly for generating solar energy. Tailored solar modules make accurate integration into building grids and profiles possible. Semitransparent solar cells, but also opaque solar cells with transparent areas, make photovoltaic glazings appear to be flooded with light. Here, the solar cells often take on the desired effect of protection against the sun and glare.
The production of such photovoltaic systems requires operating conditions such as those which are conventional primarily in the production of semiconductors and integrated electronic circuits. In the production of photovoltaic systems, these so-called clean room conditions also additionally make it necessary to handle shock-sensitive glass plates with a large surface area.
For the safe handling of such glass plates, it is necessary to cut off, with correct dimensions, the film which is located between two glass plates during the production of so-called photovoltaic modules and protrudes at the edges. As viewed from the outside, a photovoltaic module involves the connection of a glass substrate plate, a photovoltaic element and a glass plate as covering glass by means of a film which bonds said glass plates under the action of heat.
DE 10 2004 030 411 A1 has disclosed such a photovoltaic element, a solar module as laminated safety glass.
It is an object of said laid-open specification to provide solar modules having the properties of laminated safety glazings using films based on polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
This object is achieved by means of a solar module as laminated safety glass, comprising a laminate of                a) a glass pane,        b) at least one solar cell unit arranged between two PVB-based films, and        c) a back cover,        characterized in that        at least one of the PVB-based films has a tearing resistance of at least 16 N/mm2.        
It cannot be gathered from said document how such a film can be cut off given the protrusion determined, for reasons of adjustment, during the production.
DE 10 2005 027 964 A1 has disclosed a method and an apparatus for removing the plastics film protrusion in the case of laminated glass plates.
This publication is based on the object of providing a method and an apparatus, suitable in particular for carrying out said method, which make it possible to remove the plastics film protrusion mechanically and therefore not only more quickly and at a lower cost but also, above all, more accurately.
In order to achieve this object, claim 1 claims a method for removing the edge-side protrusion of the plastics film between the panes of a laminated glass plate, which method is characterized in that the plastics film protrusion is removed with sharply delineated edges by means of at least one rotating abrasive tool.
In said document, claim 9 furthermore claims an apparatus for removing the edge-side protrusion of the plastics film between the panes of a laminated glass plate, in particular for carrying out the method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 8. Said apparatus is characterized by a bearing or support surface for the laminated glass plate, a conveying means for moving the laminated glass plate linearly on or along said surface, a tool which is mounted in a fixed position on the edge of said surface and has a rotating abrasive disk which makes tangential contact, by way of a circumferential surface, with a longitudinal edge of the laminated glass plate, and a carriage which can be moved at right angles to the conveying apparatus (in the direction of the transverse dimension of the laminated glass plate) and bears a second, similar tool.
An explanatory drawing is not attached to said publication.
DE 10 2005 027 964 A1 substantially proposes the use of an abrasive rotating tool for removing the plastics film protrusion and the use of such a tool in a fixed position on a longitudinal side and movably on a transverse side. Said document does not deal with the special technical requirements for realizing this outlined measure in an automatic system, the technical boundary conditions to be taken into consideration and the requirements for quick cycle times.